Southwest Asia: Opium Accounts for Maybe Half of Taliban Funding, US Commander Says
Drug prohibition is proving to be a bonanza for the Taliban, according to the top US military commander in Afghanistan.
Drug Trade Funding Terrorists
Southwest Asia: US Turns Up the Pressure to Spray Poppy Fields, Afghan Government Resists -- So Far
US drug warriors have long wanted to unleash herbicidal sprays as a weapon to put a dent in Afghanistan's burgeoning opium poppy crop, but the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai -- along with a number of NATO allies -- has staunchly resisted American entreaties. In the wake of the country's record-breaking opium harvest this year, however, the Americans are turning up the pressure, but so far to no avail.
Europe: European Parliament Committee Calls for Pilot Project on Medicinal Opium in Afghanistan
A committee of the European Parliament has called for a pilot project for diverting illicit Afghan opium to the licit medicinal market.
Prohibition: Terror Groups Profit From Drugs, DEA Says -- Missing Forest For Trees
A high-level DEA official has again linked the illegal drug trade to the funding of terrorist organizations, but failed to note the role of drug prohibition.
Feature: As Afghan Opium Production Goes Through the Roof, Pressure for Aerial Eradication, Increased Western Military Involvement Mounts
The UN announced last week that Afghan opium production had increased yet again. Now, pressures to combat it with aerial spraying and increased Western military involvement are mounting, but the experts say that's a path to nowhere.
Latin America: Colombian Admiral Fired in Growing Probe of Military Drug Corruption
A Colombian rear admiral has been fired in a broadening probe into drug corruption in that country's military. He's not the only one.
Feature: In Strategy Shift, US Troops to Join Battle Against Opium in Afghanistan
Nearly six years after the US invaded Afghanistan, the Taliban is back and opium production is going through the roof. Now, the US government has announced it is ready to let the US military join the Afghan drug war.
Southwest Asia: State Department Says US Afghanistan Drug Policy Will Shift, But Not Much
A high-level State Department official said last week that the US will shift its opium eradication policy in Afghanistan, but there is less there than meets the eye.
Southwest Asia: Afghan Poppy Crop Sets New Record, US Ambassador Says
The 2007 Afghan opium poppy crop has set another record, the US ambassador conceded this week. All the more reason to embark on forced eradication, he said.
Latin America: Colombia Coca Production Up Again Despite Massive Eradication Efforts
The US government reported Monday that coca cultivation had increased in Colombia again last year -- despite a massive aerial herbicide spraying campaign and $700 million in US aid. The announcement comes as congressional Democrats attempt to cut anti-drug aid to Colombia.